Athlete

“Life’s as unpredictable as the weather, that’s why we should never be afraid to ride in the rain” Mike Cotty

Mike Cotty

Best known for his endurance challenges including The Road to Mont Blanc (a 1000km, 21 mountain, non-stop, crossing of the Dolomites, Italian Alps and Swiss Alps) Mike’s versatility as a rider has seen him race on the road and dirt for over 25 years. Founder of The Col Collective, Mike now shares his passion for the mountains by helping educate and inspire riders to explore their limits and beyond, with mountain videos from across the globe as well as The Col Collective’s newly established cycling tours.

Moving out of home at the young age of 21 and heading to a foreign country, where even the simple things like doing grocery shopping and generally understanding the meaning of all of the background noise, was a fast track lesson in getting out there and creating the life I saw when I closed my eyes at night.

Roll forward almost two decades and I’m proud to now be in a position where I’m able to use all of my experience, skills and creativity to help more folk become inspired to ride a bike, take on a challenge or believe in their own ability whilst representing some of the greatest cycling brands in the world.

Although the seed had been planted years before, it took until 2012 (over a decade after I started working in the bike industry) to bring Media-24 to life, creating unique content crafted from authenticity and passion, and a further two years after that to create and launch The Col Collective. Let’s just say this wasn’t a fast track in bringing your dreams to life overnight, it’s been a long journey with many ups and downs but like I always say to myself, life is never easy and if you truly want something to happen then you have to work for it.

What I’ve come to realise over the years is that anyone with a true passion and desire can achieve far more than they ever thought possible.

Cycling Palmarès

2009: 10th The Race Across the Alps, Austria/Italy/Switzerland (535km)

2008: South Downs Double 19h 52min 26 seconds (Alpine Record)

2006: South Downs Double 22h 25min 22 seconds (Supported Record)

Four Time Wessex Cyclocross Champion

1st La Morzine Vallee d’ Aulps, Grand Trophy series, France

1st British finisher Grand Raid Cristalp, Switzerland

1st British finisher (22nd overall) L’Etape du Tour 06

1st British finisher (36th overall) La Marmotte 06

2nd 24 Hours of Adrenalin Solo World Championships 08, Canada

3rd Rampilonga, Italy

3rd Roc d’Azur, France

4th SAAB Salomon Mountain Mayhem Solo 24hr, UK

5th Swiss Power Cup, Switzerland

5th La Ventoux, Grand Trophy series, France

5th Henninger Turm support race, Germany

7th La Trois Ballons, Grand Trophy series, France

Follow Your Head & Heart

It’s funny, one of the first things that we do as we enter the world is to breathe. A deep inhalation of life, energy and purity all within a few moments of being born. As we grow older (and hopefully wiser) it can be easy to lose focus of this natural survival instinct until the moment when you remind yourself what you’re actually breathing for.

Don’t leave it too long to realise the answer to your own question. As soon as you do you may never have the same perspective or priorities on the world once more and you can start living the life that you truly want, beyond that of expectations, limitations, preconceptions or any other notion that may prevent you from simply being you.